TORONTO — The Vancouver Canucks, Todd Bertuzzi and former coach Marc Crawford may be working together to fend off an upcoming multimillion-dollar lawsuit over the infamous on-ice incident that injured Steve Moore, the ex-player’s lawyer told a Toronto court Monday.

“This agreement . . . is the (hockey) code in action,” Moore’s lawyer, Tim Danson, told Superior Court Master Ronald Dash. “It’s making sure that those on that side are making a united front against Mr. Moore.”

Moore, a former Colorado Avalanche forward, was dealt a career-ending sucker punch by Bertuzzi in Vancouver during a game on March 8, 2004.

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The on-ice hit left the then-26-year-old Moore with three broken vertebra, a concussion and an inability to play professional hockey again.

Bertuzzi, now 36, was suspended by the NHL for over a year for the attack. He also pleaded guilty to assault for the incident in a British Columbia provincial court and was given a conditional discharge.

The infamous hit resulted in a $38-million lawsuit launched by Moore against Bertuzzi and Orca Bay Hockey Ltd., the company that owns the Vancouver Canucks (now known as Canucks Sports and Entertainment).

In turn, Bertuzzi sued Crawford, alleging the coach had been the one to order a bounty on Moore that night as retaliation for a hit on Markus Naslund in a previous game. He had claimed Crawford should be on the hook for any damages awarded to Moore.

Orca Bay responded by counter-suing Bertuzzi, saying the current Detroit Red Wings player acted on his own.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that both the third-party lawsuits have been dropped following closed-door discussions.

In court, Danson argued that the signed agreement between the parties should be released in the public interest.

Until Monday, lawyers for Bertuzzi and Orca Bay neither confirmed nor denied such a document existed.

He said the details of the agreement, including whether a financial settlement took place, was a “strategic decision” to send a message to those like his client.

“(The message is) if you take on the NHL, it is going to come with a heavy price,” said Danson.

His client has the right to know about the existence of a potential financial deal, which may impede Bertuzzi’s or Crawford’s co-operation in the future trial, he said.

“Mr. Bertuzzi has 40 million reasons to enter into these deals,” said Danson.

But lawyers for the NHLer and the team argued that the settlement is a privileged document, and such documents are not usually disclosed except in rare circumstances.

“There’s nothing in this agreement to incentivize anyone to do anything but tell the truth (at trial),” said Orca Bay lawyer Alan Leslie D’Silva. “That is the truth.”

It does not put Moore in an advantage or disadvantage, he said, adding that Danson was only fighting to see the document for the benefit of the press.

“(He wants) to get it out in the public domain just for curiosity sake,” D’Silva told Dash. “That is not good enough a reason.”

Bertuzzi’s lawyer, John Adair, says the agreement will not affect the credibility of potential witnesses or change the motives of any of the defendants.

None of the allegations have been proven.

Dash, who was given a copy of the settlement, has reserved his decision to a later date.